The Worst Film Ever

It is so daring, it is so ambitious, it is so thrilling and weird and pointed and powerful. I never knew where it was going.

This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

Kidnap Syndicate may not be the all action thrill ride that describes many of the Polizi flicks, but this is still an excellent example of the genre, and one that delivers a little more than just car chases and shootouts. As the title suggests, the film focus on the profitable business of kidnapping, and director Fernando Di Leo does an excellent job of showing the horror of the effect that this can have on the victim's families, as well as delivering another excellent slice of Italian crime drama. The film stars Luc Merenda as a mechanic and poor father of a kidnapped boy. An Italian crime syndicate kidnap the child of a wealthy businessman; as well as the mechanic's son. They make their ransom demands, but the wealthy father refuses to pay and decides instead to negotiate with the kidnappers. This enrages them; so to prove they're serious, they decide to kill the mechanic's son. Distraught at his loss, the father then sets out on a mission of revenge, with the organisation behind the kidnappings firmly in his crosshairs...Kidnap Syndicate is a film of two halves. The first half focuses on the kidnapping itself and the effect on the families involved, while the second half follows Merenda as he seeks out and takes revenge on the perpetrators. The structure of the film works well; the director allows us to get into the situation and characters in the first half of the film, before launching into a revenge thriller; and by then, every audience member is likely to want to see the kidnappers pay! You don't really expect to see much emotion in Polizi flicks, and indeed more could have been made of the situation that the lead finds himself in; but overall, I have to say that the film does a good job of making you feel for Merenda's character and his plight. The acting is good also, with Merenda providing an excellent performance that works well with both parts of the film. Seeing him tear around on his motorcycle is good fun to watch and the film provides all the car chases and shootouts that you would expect from this sort of film in the second half. Overall, Kidnap Syndicate is undoubtedly a highlight of the Polizi genre and comes highly recommended!

Following Di Leo's fine erotic drama LA SEDUZIONE (1973), I decided to check out the other as-yet-unwatched film of his I owned on VHS. It's another of the many action flicks he made and, in retrospect, it emerges as second-tier material. There's little that's new here in terms of plot, the action sequences aren't among the most memorable Di Leo directed and Luis Bacalov's pulsating score, while effective on its own, is awfully reminiscent of the one he composed for CALIBRE 9 (1972)!The plot is actually just as topical, in view of the recent kidnapping - and death - of a toddler which shook Italy. The film's first half, involving the kidnapping itself and the negotiations about the ransom, is pretty routine (certainly light years away from Kurosawa's riveting treatment of a similar situation in his masterly HIGH AND LOW [1963]) - though aided by the presence of James Mason (who's not really at home in these surroundings!), Valentina Cortese (delivering a rather hysterical performance) and Vittorio Caprioli (whose gestures and language Di Leo always manages to render hilarious and irresistible). Likewise, Luc Merenda is too ordinary-looking to pass muster in comparison with the unconventional heroes of other Di Leo poliziotteschi like Gastone Moschin in CALIBRE 9, Mario Adorf in THE Italian CONNECTION (1972) and Henry Silva in WIPEOUT! (1973). The element of sentimentality over the killing of Merenda's son because industrialist Mason (whose son was also kidnapped) refuses to pay up is heavy-handed, while Merenda's long-winded pursuit of the kidnappers (by pretending to get in on the dealings) doesn't convince. In the end, it's passable as entertainment but it's nowhere near as engrossing as Di Leo could be at his best!

The son of wealthy business man and philanthropist(James Mason)is abducted.The kidnappers capture a second child,the son of a poor motorcycle mechanic,for their devious plan.Mason is a hard nosed business negotiator who refuses to pay the stiff ransom that is demanded by the kidnappers.He decides to try to 'haggle' over the price of the two children's lives.This attitude enrages the bandits and results in the brutal killing of the poor boy.Distraught and infuriated,the dead boy's father devises a plan to avenge his son's death,by exterminating the kidnappers one by one.This Fernando Di Leo's action flick is not as good as his earlier "Hit Men",but it offers some exciting car chases and plenty of violence.The acting is pretty good and the suspense almost never lets up.So if you're a fan of Italian action flicks give this one a look.7 out of 10.

This is a really great Italian crime/revenge movie. Two kids are kidnapped: a rich man's child and a poor man's child. The rich man decides to try and haggle over the ransom, which causes the kidnappers to kill the poor man's child to make their point. From then on, I was rooting for the dad to go get those jerks!!! Great chases and action, totally entertaining.